Getting Started as Tool and Die Designer
Getting Started as Tool and Die Designer
(OP)
Good evening to everyone, for a while now I have been thinking about a change of direction. I have been working for an MEP design firm for the past several years. But I have recently been thinking about trying to move into tool and die design. I had a summer job working in a stamping mill years ago while I was early in college, I think it was around 2005 or so. Anyway, I can't seem to find very many resources about how to get into this field. There don't seem to be a whole lot of companies that do this work where I am, in Houston, TX. What might be the best way to break into the design side of tool making? Thanks in advance for any input.





RE: Getting Started as Tool and Die Designer
One possibility would be to try and find a large press shop that does all the process side of the design and just requires someone to do the "nuts and bolts" side of the modelling if you have very strong surface modelling skills.
From there it is a matter of building up knowledge and experience and taking on more difficult tasks. Of course reading up as much as possible on tool design would help but believe me this is a classic example of a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.
I am not really sure of employment hot spots on the other side of the pond but obviously the area around Detroit is a real hot bed of automotive manufacture and press tooling.
Just out of interest what has made you decide that moving into an area where you would be starting as a novice, I assume this would be reflected in the pay, would be a good idea?
RE: Getting Started as Tool and Die Designer
I accidentally found my position when I took up a temporary operator job on an assembly line and someone higher up found out they had an ex-engineer putting rivets in holes and pressing green buttons all day.
All but one of the other tool designers I know found their way in through toolroom aprenticeship schemes and this company has a policy of internally sourcing designers and wont advertise unless they are really struggling. You may be best off cold calling on various assembly plants and press shops (depending on the kind of tooling you want to end up designing)
Also get a copy of Fundamentals Of Machine Component Design by Juvinall and Marshek (ISBN: 978-0471661771).
I dont think there are any employment hot spots what so ever on 'this' (being the UK) side of the pond. Sheffield has the highest density of press forges and the West Midlands is where a lot of the automotive industry is focused.
Designer of machine tools - user of modified screws
RE: Getting Started as Tool and Die Designer
A couple of avenues to consider:
TygerDawg
Blue Technik LLC
Virtuoso Robotics Engineering
www.bluetechnik.com
RE: Getting Started as Tool and Die Designer
RE: Getting Started as Tool and Die Designer
RE: Getting Started as Tool and Die Designer
Like others have said tool and die work is very specialized and most of the tool designers I have worked with have come out of the shop. You can still learn a lot by being in the office if you take some time each day and go out to the shop to see how things are operating and get to know the operators of the machinery. Pick their brains a little about things that may make their job easier.
"Wildfires are dangerous, hard to control, and economically catastrophic."
Ben Loosli
RE: Getting Started as Tool and Die Designer
RE: Getting Started as Tool and Die Designer
RE: Getting Started as Tool and Die Designer
i suggest you to study the progressive die software, solidworks, ugnx, and proengineer.
please tool and product has a little difficult, you need to work on your own in the evening for over a year. to complete a 3d detail tool design.
RE: Getting Started as Tool and Die Designer
It is better to have enough ideas for some of them to be wrong, than to be always right by having no ideas at all.